Fun fact: The campus prides itself on its lush greenery, including its orange trees, birds of paradise, and other foliage. Best of all, students are allowed and encouraged to pick from the rose garden when flowers are in bloom.

Fun fact: One of the most beautiful spots on campus (and the best place to de-stress during finals period) is what's known as "Tree City." It's a 65-acre arboretum and botanical garden featuring gardens, ponds, and trees from around the world.

Fun fact: This prestigious university's motto is "Let knowledge grow from more to more; and so be human life enriched," but you'll probably be more likely to remember the unofficial motto: "Where fun goes to die."

Fun fact: This tiny liberal arts college about halfway between Iowa City and Des Moines is one of the most selective and best value colleges in the whole country, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Fun fact: This small liberal arts college in New England has an impressive list of alumni, including seven Pulitzer Prize winners, a Nobel Prize Laureate, over 50 US representatives, 18 governors, and former US president James Garfield.

Fun fact: In 1885, Ole Miss hired Sarah McGehee Isom, making her the first female professor at a co-ed institute for higher learning in the entire South. Today, Mississippi's Center for Women and Gender Studies bears her name.

Fun fact: WashU has hosted more presidential and vice-presidential debates than any other institution in US history, including the first televised three-person debate among President George H. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ross Perot.

Fun fact: If you've ever eaten green chile sauce, you can thank New Mexico State. The university is home to the Chile Pepper Institute, a department that researches and develops new strains of the Hatch green chile.

Fun fact: The heavily forested campus, set in a quiet neighborhood of Portland, feels more like a park than a college. One of the highlights: a peaceful reflecting pool offering views of nearby Mount Hood.

Fun fact: This liberal arts college is part of a consortium with Bryn Mawr College, Haverford College, and the University of Pennsylvania, meaning students can take classes at any of the four institutions.

Fun fact: Augustana University was once nicknamed "the College on Wheels" because it moved so frequently in the 19th century. The college moved all across Illinois before finding its permanent campus in South Dakota.

Fun fact: Rice has a long history of pranking, and the university keeps a running list of superlatives. The most disgusting, according to the archives, was in 1966, when Gregory Curtis convinced the freshmen and sophomore classes to line up at the health center carrying urine samples.

Fun fact: Ever since its first class of students, UVA has had secret societies. Today, six societies still remain that are more than 100 years old. Members of the most secretive — the Seven Society — are revealed only after they die.